DRAWING LESSONS FOR BEGINNERS

Drawing is about shape.

When we begin a drawing our first objective is to establish the overall large shape of our subject whether it be a portrait drawing or as simple and elegant as an old shoe. This large shape is called the contour.

From this contour we can then proceed to articulating the smaller shapes within and developing the tonal values (more commonly known as shading).

Michael Britton, Sonya, Sanguine Conte

Accurately striking the overall shape of the portrait with a few sure strokes establishes both the likeness and composition immediately. This is a skill that anyone can acquire.

But here is the crux of the matter: Being able to accurately draw that large initial contour requires training and practice.

Very few self-taught artists can accurately strike a shape. Most will delve straight-away into details such as beginning a portrait drawing with the eyes. And doing so is a sure road to ruin. The chances of achieving a likeness beginning with the little things are dim.

In fact, the likeness is found more in the overall shape of a person's head than it is in the specific attributes of their features. Although these, too, are important.

The tried and true classical approach to portrait drawing is to first establish the overall outside shape of the head as I have done with my conte drawing of Sonya.

I call this elegantly simple start Striking the Arabesque. This is where the magic of drawing and painting begins.

It is, however, ill-advised for a beginner to begin with the portrait. The reason for this is that we are deeply inculcated with symbolic preconceptions of what we think a face looks like. Consider the universality of childrens' drawings of people. They are all quite similar. The same is true for the drawings of beginners.

Instead, a beginner should start with acquiring the skill of accurately drawing simple shapes. For example, consider a box. Perhaps a shoe box. Your first decision is how big to draw that box within your canvas. And then its' height/width proportion must be established. Of course, to realize a sense of space you then need to accurately gauge the angles which fix the perspective. And this now entails determining the horizon line and perspectal vanishing points. Drawing that simple box has now assumed a complex agenda.

A classically well-trained artist can accurately strike the arabesque of that shoe box in less than a minute. And that includes getting the perspective right. This is a skill that anyone can learn. And this is the first of many lessons that I teach in my Beginning to Draw Workshop.

Acquiring this one skill will save you years, yes, years, of struggling with drawings and paintings that are not working the way you want them to work. We artists have a saying: 'Painting problems are drawing problems'. And drawing problems are always found in poorly rendered shape.

Let's apply this concept of beginning a drawing with the overall shape. Following is a lesson on drawing an old shoe.

Drawing an Old Shoe for Beginners

This lesson, abridged from my Beginning to Draw Workshop, encompasses three important elements in drawing: foreshortening, line quality and composition. Drawing an old shoe is a time-honored training exercise.

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